In case you missed it, Phil Mickelson was seen going through his normal putting routine on Wednesday prior to this year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla. While that’s not very interesting in and of itself, what the six-time major champ had on his face sure caught the attention of the golf world.
In a video shared by GolfWRX’s Instagram, Mickelson was practicing with a pair of bulky, funky-looking goggles that made him look more like a futuristic cyborg from a sci-fi movie than someone on the hunt for his third career PGA Championship title. Check out Mickelson’s look below.
There’s been a lot of fuss about Mickelson’s eyewear choices over the past few years, with many wondering why the 53-year-old started donning shades on the course in the first place — regardless of weather conditions.
Just last year at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC, Mickelson addressed some of the questions about wearing sunglasses in the rain.
“They are light enhancement glasses that are made for overcast and rainy days,” Mickelson wrote on social media. “They add light, helps to read greens, and protects from wind and rain drops. They’re not for everybody. In fact, not many people even know of them.”
Fair enough. So how about the goggles Mickelson wore on Wednesday at Valhalla?
According to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Mike Dickson, while they may look funny, the eyewear actually does serve a purpose for the short game.
“I have a pair of the goggles and use them all the time,” Dickson told me. “There’s a light that comes through the yellow part of the glasses, and it shows a railroad track image down through your right eye.
“So I use them for making sure a player’s head isn’t moving in their swing, while also ensuring that the arc of their stroke is correct.”
The goggles in question are called the ProAim Golf Putting Glasses, and, per two photos from Dickson, look like this when a player is using them on the putting surface.
The package comes with the following instructions.
Step 1: Read the green. Is your putt against the grain? With the grain? Is there any break to your putt? Take a survey of the green and determine your putting line.
Step 2: Line up the target. Using the vertical line, stand behind the ball and line up the ball with your putting line (which may not be the hole, depending on the break of the green). If your putt is 6 feet or longer, identify a spot or locate a natural marker 2 to 3 feet from the ball in line with the target line).
Mickelson has always played around with different forms of technology, so who knows, maybe this latest experiment will bring him more success on Valhalla’s greens this week. Sure, they look funny, but if putts well at this PGA Championship, he may get the last laugh.